Dry bottle cooler



May 6, 1941. E. c. TANNER 2,241,023

DRY BOTTLE COOLER Filed July 15, 1938 WiTNESSESS F 1G:- 2 lNV-ENTOR ELO C.TAN'NER.

(5.1+. ATTORNEZA'J Patented May 6, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRY BOTTLE COOLER E 0. Tanner, Springfield, Mala, assignor to Westinghouse Electric It Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 15, 19a, Serial No. 219,312

4 Claims. (Cl. 62-102) This invention relates to bottle coolers and more particularly to bottle coolers utilizing forced circulation of chilled air for cooling the bottles, commonly known as dry bottle coolers. I

, One object of the invention is to provide a bottle cooler of the type described wherein the bottles are chilled rapidly.

Another object is to produce a dry bottle cooler I broken away to show the interior of the cabinet;

and

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken near the side wall of the cabinet.

Referring now to the drawing. the reference numeral 2 designates a cabinet comprising an outer shell I4 divided by a horizontal partition I i into an upper insulated bottle cooling chamber l2 and a lower machine compartment l2. The lower portion I4 of the outer shell I. is provided with feet ii at the corners. The upper chamber I2 is lined with insulating material I! and is provided with an inner shell l2. The upper edges of the outer shell II are rolled inwardly and are then turned downwardly and are secured to the upp r edges of the inner shell I2.

The chamber is provided with two insulated covers I! hinged to one another at their edges. Each of these covers l2 comprises a lower plate 2| and an upper plate 22, the edges of the latter being rolled downwardly and then bent inwardly and secured to the edges of the lower plate. In-

sulating material 22 il'packed between the twoplates 2| and 22. V

The bottom of the insulated chamber ii, including the partition II, is provided with 0. rectangular opening 24, the edges of which are lined with a strip of heat insulating material 22 bent to the rectangular form of the opening 24 and secured to the downwardly turned edges of the inner shell I2 and the upwardly turned edges of the partition II by bolts (not shown) or similar means. This rectangular opening 24 is located near the end wall 22 of the insulated chamber l2.

overlying the rectangular opening 24 is a plate .21 to which is secured a heat insulating portion 22 which projects into and substantially seals the rectangular opening 24 against heat leakage. 'Ihe insulated portion 22 is of the same general construction as the walls of the insulated'chamber l2. The cover plate 21 together with the insulated portion forms aremovable section is in the bottom of the insulated chamber l2.

Ashelf 2| is supported on and above the removable section 22 by supports 22 and is spaced from the end wall 22 .of the insulated chamber to provide an air passage 22 along this wall 24. Se-

. cured on one part of the shelf 2i is a refrigerant evaporator or cooling unit 24 comprising a series of parallel plates 22 through which a refrigerant tube 22 is passed'back and forth, the plates 22 forming heatabsorbins fins for the tube. The remainder of the shelf 2| is adapted for the storage of bottles 22.

Between the evaporator 24 and the wall 22 of the insulated chamber i2 is an air circulating fan 21 and a motor 22 for driving the same. A shroud 22 secured to the evaporator 24 directs the air stream of the fan 21 over the entire area of the evaporator 24 and between its ilns 22.

The shroud 22 also supports the motor 22 by means of metal strips 4|. i

,A top plate 42 extends horizontally from the top of the evaporator 24 to the end wall 28, and a vertical plate 42 extends from each side of the evaporator 24 to the adlacent side of the insulated chamber II to air-seal the evaporator 24 so that only the air drawn from below the shelf 2| is circulated by the fan 21 through the evaporator 24.

A refrlgerantliqueiying unit 44 is secured to the underside of the removable section 22. .The

unit 44 comprises a motor driven compressor (not shown) sealed in a casing 44, and a refrigerant condenser 44, cooled by a fan (not shown) which circulatm air through the condenser 42 and over the sealed casing 42. The fins 41 secured to the casing aid in dissipating the, heat. The reirlserant liquefying unit 44 connects through a suction tube 44 with the upper portion of the evaporator 24 and through a pressure tube 44 and a coiled capillary impedance tube II to the tube 22 of the evaporator 24. i

The refrigerant liquefying unit 44 is of such size that it may pass upwardly through the 'rectangular opening 24 in the bottom of the insulated chamber 42 so that the entire assembly of the heat absorbing apparatus 22 may be liitedfrom its podtion in the cabinet and out through the opening inthe top of the insulated champaratus 52 comprises the evaporator 34, the fan 31, the shroud 39, the shelf 3|, the removable section 29, and the refrigerant liquefylng unit 44.

This construction permits the manufacture of the cabinet 9 in one factory and the manufaceture of the heat absorbing apparatus 52 in another factory. The two portions of the bottle cooler 9 and 52 may then be assembled wherever. convenient. It'also facilitates the replacement of either the cabinet 9 or the heat absorbing apparatus 52 in the fleld.

A horizontal metal shelf 53 is supported on the struts 54 in the insulated chamber l2 and is positioned so as to partially underlie and contact the shelf 3i, and extends horizontally to the wall 55, but is spaced from the latter. The horizontal shelf 53 is adapted for storing the bottles 55 to be-cooled and is raised from the bottom of the insulated chamber I! to form an air duct 51 together with the shelf 3i.

The complete path of the air circulated in the insulated chamber will be from the fan 31, through the evaporator 34, past the bottles 30 and 55 stored on the shelves 3| and 53 and,

underneath the shelves' 3i and 53', and then upwardly to the fan 31. The direction of the air flow may also be reversed if desired. The active contact of the cool air with the surface of the bottles 30 and 5'! cools them rapidly. The air also wipes the upper as well as the lower surface of the shelf and aids in cooling the bottles by carrying away the heat conducted by the bottles to the shelf.

From the-above it will be seen that this invention provides a bottle cooler which rapidly and efficiently cools the bottles, and in which the bottles are readily accessible. The refrigerating unit of this invention is also adapted to be constructed separately'and may be assembled to the cabinet wherever convenient.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a dry bottle cooler, the combination of an insulated chamber, a cooling unit therein near to but spaced from one end and spaced from the bottom of said chamber, said cooling unit havzontal shelf for supporting bottles extending from the lower edge of said cooling unit'towards the end of said chamber opposite the end containing ing transverse air passages, a substantially horithe cooling unit, and means for circulating the air in said chamber through the air passages of said cooling unit, across the bottles, underneath said shelf and then to said cooling unit.

2. In a dry bottle cooler, the combination of an insulated chamber including side and bottom walls and having an opening in its top, a cooling unit in said chamber, said cooling unit having transverse air passages, means for forcing air through said passages, means for supporting bottles in the path of the air passing through said passages, said cabinet having a duct for returning the air to said cooling unit, said supporting means forming a portion of said duct, a refrigerant supplying unit adjacent said chamber, and tubes connecting said cooling unit and said refrigerant supplying unit passing through a wall of said chamberya section of the wall of said chamber and also asection of said supporting means being removable to permit the removal of said cooling unit and-said refrigerant supplying means f'rom said chamber through the opening in the top thereof without disconnecting the tubes connecting the cooling unit and the refrigerant supplying unit.

' 3. In a dry bottle cooler, the combinationv of a cabinet, an insulated chamber therein, said chamber including side and bottom walls, a cooling unit in said chamber near but spaced from one end and spaced from the bottom of said chamber, said cooling unit having transverse air passages, a substantially horizontal shelf for supporting bottles extending from the lower edge of, said cooling unit towards the end of said chamber opposite the end containing the cooling unit, means for forcibly circulating the air in said chamber through the air passages of said cooling unit, across the bottles, underneath said partition and then to said cooling unit, a refrigerant supplying unit in said cabinet adjacent said insulated chamber and ducts connecting said cooling unit and said refrigerant supplying unit, said ducts passing through a wall of said insulated chamber, said cooling unit, refrigerant supplying unit, ducts and the section of the wall of said insulated chamber adjacent said ducts being removable from the remainder of said insulated chamber as a unit.

4. In a dry bottle cooler, the combination of an insulated chamber, a shelf therein for supporting bottles, a cooling unit and a fan disposed in the insulated compartment, said cooling unit and shelf forming a side and bottom wall respectively of a bottle storage zone, said fan and cooling unit being arranged to blow chilled air from the cooling unit horizontally and directly over said bottles, said shelf forming the top of a passage for returning air to the cooling unit after it has passed over the bottles.

ELO C. TANNER. 

